The National Electoral Commission, meeting the agreement of the Council of State of Cuba passed on September 18^th, 2017, that established to postpone the general elections in its first stage for November 26^th. The Commission decided to stretch until October 30^th the assemblies of nominees to the municipal organization of People’s Power.

The changing of the schedule will allow that the assemblies of nominees are carried out with the quality needed, and that the population, focused on recovering from the havoc after hurricane Irma, can participate fully in the assemblies and present the best nominees for their merits, capacity and commitment with the people, under Law 72, Electoral Law.

The lists of voters will be published on October 19-20, guaranteeing that electoral district commissions and the registration finish the verification and upgrade of this document before the deadline.

The training of staff at all levels especially those working on electoral district commissions and electoral tables, was reprogrammed for November 1-17.

The pictures and biographies of nominee to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power will be published since November 1^st.

All the above required a readjustment of documents, indications and instructions to guarantee the due organization of the electoral schedule, like Instruction No. 1 about the upgrade of the Voters Registration, the Plan of Activities of the National Electoral Commission, the Calendar of Information and the Electoral Guideline, among others.

The National Electoral Commission requested its provincial counterpart to take the necessary measures to guarantee the execution of the new schedule.

Since last September 21^st until September 29^th, the members of the National Electoral Commission and those from the Group of Supervisors have paid visits to assess the different electoral structures in order to know, evaluate and support the work on the base.

As reported, on November 26^th is the new appointed date by the Council of State for the selection of the representatives to the municipal organization of People’s Power, who will remain for two years and a half. On December 3^rd will take place the second turn, in districts where the candidates had won more than half of the valid votes.

The nomination assemblies of nominees to delegates to the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power that began last September 4^th, continue all through Cuba after Irma's wreckage. The nominations will occur in each place given the conditions to guarantee the quality of the process, fully following the Constitution and the Electoral Law, keeping in mind the importance of the assemblies, as opportunity for the full right to vote.

The change in the schedule for the assemblies and readjustment is an example of the importance given in Cuba to this electoral process as well as expression of the Cuban democratic system.

National Electoral Commission

Amilkal Labañino Valdés

Cubasi Translation Staff